I dunno, maybe I'm just as much of a giant #KitchenGeek as I always tell everyone and if I am, I am proud of it! I've taste-tested a lot of products over the years. They are included in my ebook and I have bunches that I have blogged about here to share with everyone. Why do I write product reviews? Because our family was there fifteen years ago. I was that mom, standing in the aisle at the grocery store, reading every label and grimacing when I read the ingredients. And in the beginning, there were a lot of just plain awful tasting products that we tried. So to find products that taste great and are adaptable AND free of the top eight allergens (and then some!) is like a bright, shining star. I share because I want it to be easier for all of you- this food allergy journey. And it should be.
THIS is Mama Stoen's (see above picture if you are unsure). I was contacted by them, asking if I would try them out. As you can see, they were more than generous with the product that they sent to our family and this isn't even the entire line of items that you can get! But what caught my eye the most about these boxes were the seemingly never-ending statements of what they did NOT contain. And for those of you with corn allergies- you are in luck! Most of their mixes are also corn-free which is practically a Godsend! For those of you with corn allergies, be sure and double-check the products for those that do contain corn because of the corn starch in the baking powder in certain boxes. The mixes that are free of corn include: Angel Food Cake Mix, Cookie Mix, Carrot Cake Mix and Pizza Crust Mix. MOST of their mixes are...you ready for all of this? (Deep breath, imagine me speaking in that fast, radio announcer voice for the full effect) Non-GMO, certified gluten free, no preservatives, nut free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, no artificial colors, no synthetic colors, no MSG, no added trans fats and it's made in the USA! (wiping forehead, catching breath). So now that I've got all of that out, let's see about the tasting and cooking that happened.
Banana Bread Mix Super easy to make, no gritty texture or dryness just as promised on the box. The directions called for 2 eggs but we successfully made ours with powdered egg replacer and 1 (4 oz) applesauce. These muffins were just as moist with no eggs and they baked up nice and fluffy. Definitely great with tea or coffee (or dairy free milk) and they were just as good the next day. I reheated them for about 15 seconds. I also did the freezer test successfully- simply defrost in the refrigerator before you heat and eat. These are a hearty muffin which means one is just the right amount for a serving.
Carrot Cake NutriKids really liked this mix! I do admit that I was at first a little put off that I had to grind up my own carrots....I know, I am spoiled. I'm so used to mixes that already contain carrots but I got over it very quickly. I used three carrots and it took a whole 5 extra minutes so shame on me for being lazy. This mix called for eggs as well as buttermilk- nope, we didn't do that. I used 1/4 cup butter, 1 (4 oz) applesauce and powdered egg replacer. I also mixed dairy free almond milk with lemon juice in lieu of buttermilk. I was hoping the entire time it was baking that it wouldn't flop in the middle like most mixes do or that it would come out less than what a true layer of cake should be. Much to my happiness as you can see, the carrot cake mix looks like a proper cake should!
Cookie Mix Again, super easy and adaptable to be egg free. I baked them on parchment paper (because parchment paper is a gluten free cook's best friend!). I did note that when I took them out of the oven, they may seem a little mushy, which makes us tend to think they are not cooked properly. Totally untrue- after letting them cool a bit, the cookies were a perfect mixture of just a bit crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. And you know how sometimes the next day allergy-friendly cookies are...well, mushy? So not the case with these! The leftovers didn't make it to a third day. I mean, just look at that stack of happy cookies! I bet if you put them next to a typical cookie (full of allergens) that nobody would know which is which.
Pizza!! YES!!! Amidst all of the wonderful baked goods, there was a pizza crust mix too! And although my kitchen was already chock full of baked items NutriSon eyed up the box and I knew I had to go big or go home. There was just no turning back! We would make the pizza and eat the pizza! And..wait! The recipe calls for egg whites.... again, so not a problem. Powdered egg replacer is unbelievably wonderful with all of these products. There is a baking tip I recommend- the box doesn't suggest anything except for baking the pizza crust on the pan. I baked it for 5 minutes then I placed a cookie cooling rack underneath it on the sheet and baked for another five minutes. The reason? Often times, when we bake gluten free pizza crust, they seem anything but crispy on the bottom. The reason? The air has to get to it or else it remains a little on the soft side (unless you burn it and that's always horrific).Watch here to see our thoughts.
It's Chocolate Cake...or IS It? I began to mix the chocolate cake mix but then my blogger brain stepped in. I wanted to try something I hadn't before. I had purchased a Twinkie Baking Set but I wanted to make them with chocolate and Barney Butter! (Barney Butter is almond butter) Now, before everyone who is top eight free starts to freak out on me because I'm mentioning a nut item, just chill and listen; you can also use SunButter or any nut free spread in this recipe. I chose to begin with Barney Butter because NutriSon is peanut allergic but not almond allergic. And what does it look like? It looks delicious! Behold the Chocolate Almond Butter Twinkies! Are they light and spongy like a Twinkie? No but the taste combination is like Twinkie meets almond butter cup.
When Was the Last Time You Liked Your Foods? Does anyone else get excited when they find new products? Truly, all of the cake mixes from Mama Stoen's have excellent taste, are easy to make and absolutely won over my entire family. Being free of the other usual ingredients like many mixes (artificial colors, etc) is an added bonus. Make sure you visit Mama Stoen's on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to let them know you'd like to know more about their products. Many thanks to them for reaching out and providing NutriFamily with such an abundance of great tasting items!
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| There's MORE! Visit them at Mama Stoen's |
Banana Bread Mix Super easy to make, no gritty texture or dryness just as promised on the box. The directions called for 2 eggs but we successfully made ours with powdered egg replacer and 1 (4 oz) applesauce. These muffins were just as moist with no eggs and they baked up nice and fluffy. Definitely great with tea or coffee (or dairy free milk) and they were just as good the next day. I reheated them for about 15 seconds. I also did the freezer test successfully- simply defrost in the refrigerator before you heat and eat. These are a hearty muffin which means one is just the right amount for a serving.
Carrot Cake NutriKids really liked this mix! I do admit that I was at first a little put off that I had to grind up my own carrots....I know, I am spoiled. I'm so used to mixes that already contain carrots but I got over it very quickly. I used three carrots and it took a whole 5 extra minutes so shame on me for being lazy. This mix called for eggs as well as buttermilk- nope, we didn't do that. I used 1/4 cup butter, 1 (4 oz) applesauce and powdered egg replacer. I also mixed dairy free almond milk with lemon juice in lieu of buttermilk. I was hoping the entire time it was baking that it wouldn't flop in the middle like most mixes do or that it would come out less than what a true layer of cake should be. Much to my happiness as you can see, the carrot cake mix looks like a proper cake should!
Cookie Mix Again, super easy and adaptable to be egg free. I baked them on parchment paper (because parchment paper is a gluten free cook's best friend!). I did note that when I took them out of the oven, they may seem a little mushy, which makes us tend to think they are not cooked properly. Totally untrue- after letting them cool a bit, the cookies were a perfect mixture of just a bit crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. And you know how sometimes the next day allergy-friendly cookies are...well, mushy? So not the case with these! The leftovers didn't make it to a third day. I mean, just look at that stack of happy cookies! I bet if you put them next to a typical cookie (full of allergens) that nobody would know which is which.
Pizza!! YES!!! Amidst all of the wonderful baked goods, there was a pizza crust mix too! And although my kitchen was already chock full of baked items NutriSon eyed up the box and I knew I had to go big or go home. There was just no turning back! We would make the pizza and eat the pizza! And..wait! The recipe calls for egg whites.... again, so not a problem. Powdered egg replacer is unbelievably wonderful with all of these products. There is a baking tip I recommend- the box doesn't suggest anything except for baking the pizza crust on the pan. I baked it for 5 minutes then I placed a cookie cooling rack underneath it on the sheet and baked for another five minutes. The reason? Often times, when we bake gluten free pizza crust, they seem anything but crispy on the bottom. The reason? The air has to get to it or else it remains a little on the soft side (unless you burn it and that's always horrific).Watch here to see our thoughts.
It's Chocolate Cake...or IS It? I began to mix the chocolate cake mix but then my blogger brain stepped in. I wanted to try something I hadn't before. I had purchased a Twinkie Baking Set but I wanted to make them with chocolate and Barney Butter! (Barney Butter is almond butter) Now, before everyone who is top eight free starts to freak out on me because I'm mentioning a nut item, just chill and listen; you can also use SunButter or any nut free spread in this recipe. I chose to begin with Barney Butter because NutriSon is peanut allergic but not almond allergic. And what does it look like? It looks delicious! Behold the Chocolate Almond Butter Twinkies! Are they light and spongy like a Twinkie? No but the taste combination is like Twinkie meets almond butter cup.When Was the Last Time You Liked Your Foods? Does anyone else get excited when they find new products? Truly, all of the cake mixes from Mama Stoen's have excellent taste, are easy to make and absolutely won over my entire family. Being free of the other usual ingredients like many mixes (artificial colors, etc) is an added bonus. Make sure you visit Mama Stoen's on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to let them know you'd like to know more about their products. Many thanks to them for reaching out and providing NutriFamily with such an abundance of great tasting items!
Yum! Hope to try some very soon! They all look so good!
ReplyDeleteBe sure and let them know Nutrimom sent you :)
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